Team Burnham: ‘Taliban New Labour’ remarks came from Cooper’s campaign

Who described the folks backing Liz Kendall as the ‘Taliban New Labour’? The Telegraph’s story this morning attributed the vituperative comments to a ‘sources close to Burnham and Cooper,’ but both campaigns are distancing themselves from the remarks.

A source on Team Burnham tells Coffee House that the comments came from Yvette’s Team and not from anyone on the Burnham campaign. But Team Cooper on the other hand is quick to say that the comments did not come from them either. A source on Cooper’s campaign says:

‘I don’t think it helps to get into finger pointing. It absolutely wasn’t us. It’s not language we endorse or have even heard. It’s not a very useful contribution to the debate about the future of the party and the country.’

Given that both campaigns are distancing themselves from the ‘Taliban New Labour’, it’s tricky to see who exactly made these comments, unless it was someone who has gone rogue. Or, there is the possibility that it’s someone who considers themselves close to both Burnham and Cooper personally but is not directly involved in either.